2 Simple Steps to Beat U.S. Stocks

And Chinese investors… well, you guessed it, they go heavily into Chinese stocks.

This is the essence of a phenomenon called home country bias.

As investors, we feel most comfortable buying the stocks of “our own” domestic companies. And we routinely under-allocate to foreign stocks.

That means U.S. investors are likely invested in…

Apple… not Samsung

Google… not Tencent

Amazon… not Alibaba

Intel… not the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company

Verizon… not America Movil

Coca-Cola… not Fomento Economico Mexicano

I’ll note that we recommended an investment in Fomento to our Boom & Bust subscribers. Generally, though, we know well U.S. investors’ preference for U.S. stocks.

Let’s be honest… it feels uncomfortable investing in a foreign company… and it’s worse when you can’t even pronounce its name! Right?!

But sticking too close to your home turf – in the name of comfort, or otherwise – could be costing you a lot of money.

Each of the foreign companies listed above are beating the pants off their U.S. counterparts so far this year.

Samsung is beating Apple (49% to 29%)

Tencent is beating Google (57% to 23%)

Alibaba is beating Amazon (75% to 36%)

Taiwan Semiconductors is beating Intel (24% to -6%)

America Movil is beating Verizon (36% to -21%)

Fomento Economico Mexican is beating Coca-Cola (35% to 7%)

So, what’s an American investor to do?

Two simple things…

The first step is to acknowledge there’s nothing “special” about U.S. stocks.

They aren’t pre-ordained to be the investment world’s best market all the time. Sometimes U.S. stocks outperform foreign stocks. Other times, it’s the other way around.

U.S. stocks will always feel more comfortable to U.S.-based investors. Reinforcing that preference, currently, is the fact that U.S. stocks have indeed outperformed foreign stocks for a long while now. From the March 2009 bottom through the end of 2016, the S&P 500 gained a massive 225% while emerging-market stocks were up just 82% and foreign developed markets just 46%.

But as I first warned in March, there’s no guarantee U.S. stocks will always outperform foreign stocks. The reality is that U.S. stocks are more likely to underperform ahead, as they’ve done so far this year.

Once you acknowledge that there’s nothing special about U.S. stocks, you’re halfway toward finding lucrative opportunities all around the world.

The second step is simply figuring out the best way to invest in foreign stock markets. And, as I see it, that decision is a no-brainer…

You should invest in ETFs.

Look, finding the “next Apple” in China is no easy feat.

Frankly, most investors don’t have what it takes to be stock-pickers in their home markets, let alone foreign markets. So most ordinary folks are better served investing in a diversified basket of foreign stocks and calling it a day.

ETFs make that easy and cheap to do.

Take for instance the iShares MSCI Mexico ETF (NYSE: EWW).

Around 22% of this ETF’s assets are invested in America Movil, Verizon’s counterpart, and Fomento Economico Mexican, the “Mexican Coca-Cola” that we recommended to Boom & Bust subscribers – both up around 35% this year. But it’s also invested in roughly 60 other Mexican stocks, ranging from banks and cement companies, to airlines and real estate investment trusts.

This ETF gives you a simple way to “buy Mexico” – with one click of the mouse, and for a measly 48 basis points. So far this year, that’s been a good buy.

Mexico (EWW) is the top-performing stock market ETF among the 15 countries I track in Cycle 9 Alert and 10X Profits.

Shares of the ETF are up more than 31% year-to-date. That’s three-times better than the S&P 500 (SPY)!

Chinese stocks are also having a great year. And because it’s daunting to buy individual stocks out of China, the iShares China Large-Cap ETF (NYSE: FXI) offers a diversified, low-cost, and simple way to gain access to China’s market.

Shares of the iShares China ETF are up 20% this year, nearly four-times the return we’ve seen from U.S. small-cap stocks so far.

The bottom line is, you’re missing a world of lucrative opportunities if you’re restricting your portfolio to U.S. investments only.

According to private equity firm KKR, China’s economy will account for a full 35% of global GDP growth in 2017. Emerging-markets outside of China will contribute an additional 41% of global growth.

Meanwhile, U.S. economic growth will be just 10% of the global pie this year.

That should make you think twice about loading up on U.S. names… and make you take a second look at global stock market ETFs, from China to Mexico and beyond.

What if I told you up to 95% of companies currently trading on the stock market today are essentially stealing money right out of your pocket!? This includes some of the biggest names in the corporate world… companies that trade millions of shares a day, who you might be invested in right now!

Discover just how far the deceit on Wall Street goes and how you can still uncover many lucrative opportunities in the stock market today, in our new infographic: How CEOs are Earning 335x MORE Than Their Own Employees

About Author

Adam O'Dell has one purpose in mind: to find and bring to subscribers investment opportunities that return the maximum profit with the minimum risk. Adam has worked as a Prop Trader for a spot Forex firm. While there, he learned the fundamentals of trading in the world’s largest market. He excelled at trading the volatile currency markets by seeking out low-risk entry points for trades with high profit potential. An MBA graduate and Affiliate Member of the Market Technicians Association, Adam is a lifelong student of the markets. He is editor of our hugely successful trading service, Cycle 9 Alert.

About Us

Economy & Markets Daily is the first e-letter of its kind that uses the power of demographic trends and purchasing power to accurately identify economic and market boom and busts.

We believe that knowing what consumers are going to buy next (purchasing power)... or what they'll stop buying soon... is the best way to protect your investment portfolio, maximize your returns, and make smart business and financial decisions.

Each week day, Harry Dent, Rodney Johnson, and Adam O'Dell share with you their views on demographic trends, their market research, their economic research, the housing market, economic cycles, market cycles, business cycles, and the looming economic collapse and market crash.